Panchang for California
Today's panchang for the three largest Bay Area and Southern California cities, each computed for its own sunrise — one row per city, no guessing from India timings.
| City | Date | Tithi | Rahu Kaal | Sunrise | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | Krishna Amavasya | 15:46 to 17:03 PST | 06:42 PST | 17:03 PST | |
| Los Angeles | Krishna Amavasya | 15:34 to 16:53 PST | 06:19 PST | 16:53 PST | |
| San Jose | Krishna Amavasya | 15:44 to 17:02 PST | 06:39 PST | 17:02 PST |
Sunrise and solar longitude vs Delhi
| Location | Sunrise | Sun Nirayana longitude at sunrise | Tithi at sunrise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delhi (reference) | 06:38 IST | 201.4° (Tula) | Krishna Chaturdasi |
| San Francisco | 06:42 PST | 202.0° (Tula) | Krishna Amavasya |
| Los Angeles | 06:19 PST | 202.0° (Tula) | Krishna Amavasya |
| San Jose | 06:39 PST | 202.0° (Tula) | Krishna Amavasya |
Why California tithi timing ends early morning
The Pacific time zone runs 12.5 hours behind India in summer (PDT, UTC-7) and 13.5 hours in winter (PST, UTC-8), while India stays on UTC+5:30 year-round with no daylight saving. A tithi that transitions in the evening over India therefore transitions in the early morning — or on the previous calendar day — in California. Because the Udaya Tithi rule dates each day by the tithi current at sunrise, a California sunrise frequently finds the previous tithi still running, which is why California (and the West Coast generally) can observe a festival a full day earlier than India, with the cut-off landing right at daybreak.
Full day details, Choghadiya and Yamaganda for each city are on the linked city pages. California spans one time zone (Pacific) but sunrise still varies by about half an hour between San Diego and the Oregon border.
Related
Methodology and reference
All timings on this page are computed astronomically for the respective local coordinates — solar and lunar sidereal positions, the Lahiri (Chitrapaksha) ayanamsa and sunrise-anchored window divisions — and regression-checked against the Government of India publication Rashtriya Panchang (Positional Astronomy Centre, India Meteorological Department, Kolkata). Data verified against the Positional Astronomy Centre, IMD (Government of India) publications on every site update; the computation method is described on the about page.
Frequently asked questions
- Why do Hindu festivals in the US fall a day earlier than in India?
- Pacific time sits 12.5 to 13.5 hours behind IST, so evening tithi transitions over India land in the early morning in California. When the previous tithi is still current at local sunrise, the Udaya Tithi rule moves the festival date one day earlier than India.
- How is Udaya Tithi observed in Daylight Saving Time?
- DST changes only the clock: sunrise shifts by an hour on the clock while the sun-anchored windows keep their physical duration. California flips between PDT (UTC-7) and PST (UTC-8), so the India gap alternates between 12.5 and 13.5 hours while India itself never changes.
- What is the time difference between California and India today?
- India is 12 hours 30 minutes ahead of Pacific Daylight Time and 13 hours 30 minutes ahead of Pacific Standard Time. When it is 9:00 in the morning in San Francisco, it is 21:30 the same day in Delhi during PDT and 22:30 during PST.